Nearly 40 percent of junior-high school students who reported being sexually active said they did not use contraception the last time they had sex, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said in a report on Thursday.
The report, which collected about 5,700 valid responses in 2018 to investigate health-related behaviors among adolescents, showed that the number of junior-high school students who were sexually active rose 2.3 percent from a decade ago to 5.7 percent.
Past reports showed that 70 to 80 percent of female junior-high school students who had sex used birth control, but the rate dropped to 61 percent in 2018, the latest report showed.
Sex without contraceptives, such as condoms, can lead to unwanted pregnancies and brings a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases, HPA Maternal and Child Health Division director Tseng Kuei-chin (曾桂琴) said, adding that females who have sex at an early age have an increased risk of cervical cancer.
The increased rate of sexual intercourse among junior-high school students in the nation could be linked to the overwhelming quantity of pornography online, with some content giving teenagers misconceptions about sex, Tseng said, citing another HPA report from 2018.
The report showed that at least four out of 10 teenagers had been exposed to pornography, among whom more than 50 percent said that the first time they were exposed to it was when they were 10 to 13 years old.
Parents should spend more time with their children and pay attention to their interpersonal relationships, Tseng said.
It is important to teach them well and such conversations should not be embarrassing, she said.
In other news, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that 9,183 cases of sexual assault were reported last year, including cases where the same person reported an assault more than once, with 833 reportedly committed by people they met on the Internet.
“Many thought the person they were meeting online would be their Prince Charming, but it was actually the Big Bad Wolf,” Department of Protective Services Deputy Director Kuo Tsai-jung (郭彩榕) said.
Last year, 8,160 people reported sexual assaults, 4,267 of whom were minors aged 12 to 18, 396 of whom were allegedly assaulted by someone they met online, ministry statistics showed.
Teenagers should not share their personal information online and never take or upload private photos, Kuo said, adding that it is safer not to meet strangers on the Internet in person.
If teenagers have sent private pictures or videos to strangers, it is important that they do not blame themselves too much, even if the material is spread online, Kuo said.
Parents must support their children at times like this, as the minor is a victim and “it should not be the fault of the victim,” she said.
The ministry has established the Institute of Watch Internet Network, which offers online safety education, including dealing with online sharing of private pictures and videos.
After receiving such complaints, the institute contacts the police immediately and if the content is posted on a foreign platform, cooperates with international non-governmental organizations to demand the removal of the content, it said.
The ministry’s 113 hotline, which allows people to report or ask questions about domestic violence, sexual assault or harassment, can also provide protection in a timely manner, the institute said.
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